Spring Pea Salad with Crispy Pork Belly

We can’t get enough of the bright flavors of Spring, and this Spring Pea Salad from The Barn at Blackberry Farm® shows off delicious, fresh, seasonal flavor with the perfect balance of heartiness from the crispy pork belly. This dish is great as a side dish or beginning to your meal, or make it your main course when you’re craving something lighter.

Spring Pea Salad with Crispy Pork Belly
Makes 4 portions

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar snap peas 
1 cup snow peas 
1 stalk celery, peeled and thinly sliced
¼ cup picked dill
¼ cup pickled leeks
¼ cup thinly sliced spring onion tops (or scallion tops)
1 cup crispy pork belly (can use bacon lardons as a substitute)
Mustard vinaigrette

For the Peas:
String both the snap and snow peas, and trim the edges.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the peas and cook for about one minute. Take the peas out of the boiling water with a strainer, and shock them in an ice bath. Once cool, take the peas out of the ice water and spread them on a tray lined with a paper towel to dry.

Mustard Vinaigrette: 
yields 1 quart

1 cup whole grain mustard
1 cup dijon mustard
1 cup Georgia olive oil
⅓ cup honey 
½ cup lemon juice

Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl.

For the Crispy Pork Belly: 
Cut your pork belly into lardons, about 1 inch by ¼ inch. Place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 350-degree oven until the fat has rendered and is crispy. Let cool slightly then remove the belly from the tray using tongs or a slotted spoon to drain the fat. Set aside to cool.

For the Pickled Leeks:
3 cups white wine vinegar
50g salt
50g sugar
2 cups thinly-sliced leek bottoms
1 cup olive oil

Wisk together the vinegar, salt and sugar until dissolved. In a non-reactive bowl, pour the vinegar over the leeks. Make sure the leeks are completely submerged. Let sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, take the leeks out of the vinegar, and discard the vinegar. Put the leeks into a glass jar or container. Cover with olive oil.

To assemble the salad:
In a bowl, add peas, pork belly, celery, leeks, dill and onion tops. Season with the mustard vinaigrette and salt to your liking. Toss together and serve.

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